- [Austin] Ken, can you tell me how this feels?
- [Ken] It feels very good!
- I feel like we need to get one of these for the office!
Like it's legitimately really cool.
Hey guys, this is Austin.
This is a Toyota Highlander and recently,
I got the opportunity to see something I've always wanted
to check out, how a car is actually built.
So our friends at Toyota sponsored our trip
out to their TMMI plant in Indiana
to see exactly how it all comes together.
One of my favorite parts is the exoskeleton.
So as you can see, not only is it incredibly stylish,
but the cool part about is it gives you a lot of extra lift.
So say if you're working on like wiring harnesses
or painting, you kind of have your arms lifted
above your head for a significant chunk of the day,
it actually gives you a lot of lift.
In fact, I've got about six pounds of lift right now,
which doesn't sound like a lot,
but it's actually a fair bit, and especially
with Ken with the 10 pound, you can imagine
if you were kind of like working with say (hissing)
That actually makes a real difference.
Like even just a few extra pounds,
like especially if you're doing this all day long,
your arms are gonna get really tired.
So even if this just helps like 20, 30%
with like a little bit less fatigue
at the end of the day, it's totally worth it.
Touring through the plant, it's hard not
to be struck by just how big everything is.
Between the massive robots, the automated little carts
that are moving parts around to just the sheer size
of the factory, it's kind of overwhelming.
We started our tour by entering the paint shop.
Now this place is really hardcore.
Even just a little bit of dirt
or dust could totally ruin a car.
So I donned my super stylish suit,
walked through the decontamination room,
and got to enter what actually a lot
of people don't even get to see.
Now even though it's just called the paint shop,
there's a lot more than that going on.
So one of my favorite parts is right here.
So you'll see that there a series
of four robots applying sealant
to the underside of these vehicles.
Now that's super cool
'cause obviously robots are incredibly precise.
You can see they literally I mean spend what?
Probably less than a minute per vehicle applying all
of the sealant.
However if you go one station down,
you'll see that people are a huge part of this process.
So not only are they spot checking everything
to make sure it looks fine, but they're also brushing it
to make sure it's an even coat,
there's nothing that's missed.
I think it's a really cool example
of just how much the sort of blend of people
and technology really does make all of this possible.
For certain tasks, robots absolutely make sense.
But a lot of other tasks, the people are going
to do a much better job, of course be much more thorough
about like you know thinking about things
versus going like (imitates robot buzzing).
(imitating robot buzzing)
That's pretty much what robots do.
The scale of the operation really makes sense
when you consider that this is a factory
which is constantly churning out vehicles.
Everything they can do they have done
to optimize efficiency.
So whether that means the cars are flying overhead,
they're being welded on one side
and glued and bonded and painted.
I mean there's just stuff going on all the time.
But it makes sense because in a matter
of just a few hours, you have a bunch
of raw materials come in one side of the factory
and a fully completed vehicle come out the other side.
And this happens nonstop!
I mean it's ridiculously cool to watch!
(bright, upbeat music)
So every vehicle goes through an inspection
to make sure of course things like the lights work
and the horn and all that kind of stuff.
But then they also go through a water chamber
to make sure that there are no leaks.
They go on the dyno to make sure the powertrain
and everything is working correctly.
But then a few vehicles go into further review,
AKA the fun stuff!
So the first thing we saw was a massive room
which can simulate basically hurricane-level experiences.
So it can absolutely pour water on a vehicle
and this is to make sure that not only it continues
to work, but things like the windows
and the seals are all working correctly.
And they don't pull every vehicle through here,
but they do grab a handful of vehicles every day
to make sure that nothing is sort
of underperforming as they expect.
The same thing goes for the track.
So they have a series of different road surfaces
that are rough that are trying to test
for not only any suspension issues,
but if there's any like weird squeaks
or rattles or anything going on.
And then last but not least, not only do they take it
over a giant hill to make sure that everything is working,
but they give it a full-speed pass
on their private road, which I may
or may not have got to ride along with.
(whooshing)
The entire experience wrapped up
with a sneak peek at the 2020 Highlander,
which should be going on sale roughly
about the time that you're watching this video.
Now the interesting part of this is
that not only were these some of the very first vehicles
that come off the assembly line,
but you have to consider that when there's a new vehicle,
the entire plant has to kind of start from scratch.
Sure obviously some things can be reused,
but generally speaking, you've got a new exterior.
You've got a new interior.
You've got tons and tons and tons of new parts.
And not only do they have to work
on the development of these and kind of
to design them to work in the vehicle,
but also the factory has to figure out
how are we going to put them together?
In what order should we do this?
They have to work out all of the kinks.
And they still have to continue making the old one
at the same time!
It is an incredible logistical challenge,
but it's something that I was super excited to check out.
That is just a little look at what goes
into building a vehicle.
I want to give a huge shout out
to Toyota for giving us the amazing factory tour.
And the next time you see a Highlander
or well pretty much any Toyota on the road,
think for just a second about how much work goes
into these vehicles.
It really is incredible.
Next time I know I'm gonna, I'm gonna appreciate it.
I'm gonna be like, "Oh look, that was a lot of work!"
Cars just don't grow on trees, you know?
They're built in factories by lots
and lots and lots and lots of people!
(bright, upbeat music)